The Isis
The Isis is the name traditionally given to the River Thames as it flows through Oxford, especially the stretch used for college rowing. It is the same river that runs through London; the Oxford name probably grew out of the Latin Tamesis and stuck through centuries of local and University use.
In practice
You will see the name on maps, pub signs, boat clubs and rowing reports, and in the University's crew names: Isis is the reserve crew of the Oxford men's Boat Race squad. The college boathouses line the bank below Folly Bridge, opposite Christ Church Meadow, and the towpath runs north to Port Meadow and south towards Iffley Lock. Oxford's second river, the Cherwell, joins the Thames by Christ Church Meadow and is the one most visitors punt on.
Why it matters to newcomers
"Down by the Isis" and "on the Thames" mean the same place. For walking and running, the towpath is one of the best long routes in the city; for punting, head to the Cherwell at Magdalen Bridge or the Cherwell Boathouse in north Oxford rather than the busier Isis.
Related
- Summer Eights - the races rowed on the Isis
- May Morning - celebrated over the Cherwell at Magdalen Bridge
Source: Oxford City Council.